two boys and a behavior changes

[redestarrosa]

hey there… i am new to this forum … i have two boys, one is holland lop and the other is holland lop mix… i had them since each one was a month old… there is like about 2 weeks in ages difference btw the boys…. for months they lay next to each other and grooming each other… i know that Honeybun the oldest, the mix, is the dominant one.. Honeybun is a character while Blackjack the holland lop is quieter and less ornery… They both are 6 months old…Honeybun’s behavior have changed a bit…. he is digging constantly at things like my bed and on cardboard boxes that i encourage.. but he is digging more often than usual and he is chasing blackjack… not in fun, like chasing each other… it seems more aggressive

i haven’t seen any fights.. just that aggressive chasing blackjack .. and blackjack haven’t been chasing honeybun for a month now…that what they used to do when playing … they haven’t been sleeping together like they used to

so, i guess i should have the boys neutered right?

 

Evenstar

[Faye Perry]

the same thing just happened with my two girls… yes i think neutering is the way to go as i’m sure its the same for both sex.

I thought having two sisters would ease the situation, but they still scrapped so just keep your eye on them.  We had to seperate Booboo and Mable until surgery, this happened quite early for us – at 12 weeks, so our vet wanted to wait until they were at least 4 months.  You may be able to get them in quite soon.  It was horrible having to keep them seperate but it was for their own good as when they did scrap it could of got quite nasty if we hadn’t of been there to split them up! It was literally fur flying like in the cartoons!!! once when pulling them apart Mable was still attached to Booboo!!!

We kept the cages next to each other (with a gap so they couldn’t reach through to scrap!) so they could still see and smell each other.  I also swapped cages every so often so the cages didn’t become owned… and this helped when re-bonding as neither cage belonged to either…

I was advised to have them ‘done’ together on the same day….

We all thought that Mable would be the dominant one – as she was the pushy one before – but after re-bonding them it appears that Booboo stands her ground and Mable gives in… so we were all wrong and our ‘Queen’ appears to be just a ‘Princess’ instead..

I’m not sure if you get them done soon if you would need to re-bond…maybe another bunny lover can advise…

Hope it all goes well x good luck x

[BinkyBunny]

WELCOME Redestarrosa!

You are correct –   having the boys neutered should at least help.   Males can be challenging to bond. (most all babies get along until they reach sexual maturity, and then their hormones drive them to be territorial.)

You definitely have a better chance of them continuing to get along if you can prevent an all out fight.  So though a little territorial chasing is okay, if it doesn’t stop, it can turn into something viious.

As far as getting the neutered, the sooner the better      Less chance of destructive habits from setting in.

Are they spraying yet?   I also know that the earlier you get them neutered, the less likely they are to spray after they are neutered.

Also, if they are getting…eh.hem…extra friendly with you, you may need to give them a toy, or stuffed sock, so they can work out their bunny love frustrations.

Again, welcome and keep us updated!

[redestarrosa]

so far no spraying…. but the pooping, it is starting to get too much.. occassional here and there, that is one thing… but everywhere.. that is another… the boys are 6 months old, i hope it is not too late to correct their bad pooping habit… i am going to get them neutered as soon as i can… im going to find a good vet…

Blackjack is much smaller than Honeybun, so he get away from Honeybun by getting under the couch.. Honeybun is almost too big to go under. so he is not as quick about going under… so far Honeybun have not been extra "friendly" with me yet (knock on wood) but he did tried humping my dog’s leg, it was so funny!  my dog did not take that kindly, he barked at Honeybun and  moved away from him …. normally Honeybun and my dog Nickles are best buddies

 

Evenstar and the Critters

4 rats (kitty, belissa, bucca, and little bill)

2 rabbits (Honeybun and Blackjack)

2 Sugar Gliders (Bobuck and Ebony)

1 bearded dragon named Sunny

 

ps.. honeybun was visited by the genderfairy cause the breeder that brought "her" to me said that ‘she" a girl…. only to find he is a boy!

[BinkyBunny]

Wow, what a Motley Crew!  I love it.    Love those bearded dragons.    And I have seen sugar gliders, (so cute) but know nothing about them. I’d love to see pictures of your fuzzy faced crew.

I know it must be so frustrating with the bunnies doing this.  And no it won’t be too late to correct bad habits.   Babies are the WORST – older bunnies really are easier to litter train.

For now, I would really limit their freedom.  Get an x-pen and confine them to that (with several litterboxes – their poop placed in them) for their exercise with very limited time out, gradually increasing the space and freedom time as they earn it.  As an animal lover, I am sure this will be hard to confine them to a smaller space, but by training them now, you will be able to offer them a better life because they will be able to enjoy more freedom once they are litter trained.

Do you know how to find a good vet? Definitely need to be rabbit savvy.  If not, I can offer you some advice and links that will help you find a rabbit savvy vet.

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